HUNLEY CREW BURIAL

April 17th, 2004

The morning was warm, and the waters off Charleston Harbor were unusually calm. It was perhaps the same sort of sea conditions Hunley commander Lt. Dixon was waiting for in 1864 when he and his crew launched the experimental vessel that began the age of modern day submarines.

But this day would not mark the beginning of the Hunley crew’s mission, but rather the completion of their century long journey to a final burial. On April 17th, 2004, the submarine pioneers that manned the first successful combat submarine were buried.

The ceremony began at 9:15 a.m. with a memorial service at White Points Garden. Immediately after the ceremony, horse drawn caissons followed by a procession of men and women dressed in 19th century attire brought the crew to their final resting place. The procession marched 4.5-miles through downtown Charleston, and ended at Magnolia Cemetery. The Hunley’s eight-man crew was then laid to rest next to others who lost their lives on Hunley test missions.

The burial was attended by tens of thousands of people who came to honor the crew and witness this historic moment. Visitors came from around the world, including Australia, Germany, France, and Great Britain.

The funeral procession along East Bay St., Charleston, SC.

A Celebration of Our Nation’s History

The burial was attended by tens of thousands of people who came to honor the crew and witness this historic moment. Visitors came from around the world including Australia, Germany, France, and Great Britain.

Additionally, the Friends of the Hunley research team was able to locate descendants of two of the crewmembers, and they participated in the burial of their ancestors. The attendance of crewmember descendants and the overwhelming amount of visitors made the burial not just a solemn and inspirational event, but a celebration of our nation’s history.

Facial reconstructions were conducted on the Hunley crew and researchers strove to unearth as much personal information as possible. The crew’s faces and biographies were on every news network and in every major paper in the U. S. as well as many overseas. Because of this, when the crew was buried, the world was not watching strangers being laid to rest, but rather people whose faces we knew and personal histories we could remember.

The Hunley crew’s 140-year journey of maritime achievement, technology and intrigue finally ended with the burial fate had for so long made impossible. Now, at last, they were at rest.

The attendance of crewmember descendants and the overwhelming amount of visitors made the burial not just a solemn and inspirational event, but a celebration of our nation's history.